. good morning. massive outbreak. 19 reported christmas tornadoes from texas to alabama. and now blizzard conditions across a wide swath of the country could make a real mess for people heading home after e holiday. gunman sets fire to his home and shoot the firemen who respond. this morning, their desperate emergency calls. >> we are being shot at. multiple firemen down. multiple firemen shot. >> and investigators uncover a disturbing note by the gunman. and best present ever?

>> hey! >> a christmas morning surprise brings a grandfather to tears. so what was in that hat? the answer "today," wednesday, december 26th, 2012. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm sav annah guthrie. >> and i'm willie geist in this morning for matt. interestingly enough that reaction we just saw from that man, the same reaction you had when you opened that set of one direction dolls. >> funny, i was going to say that was your reaction when i

gave you that fruitcake. >> little tough but nice nonetheless. record number of christmas day tornadoes. part of the system that's being blamed for at least three deaths. now it's heading our way. we'll have the latest straight ahead. also this morning president obama cutting short his vacation in hawaii, heading back to washington that. will happen tonight to work on a fiscal cliff deal. don't wait for washington to reach a deal by the end of the year. coming up, what you can do right now to minimize the impact on your own bottom line. jessica simpson used the holiday to confirm she is pregnant once again. she tweetd a picture of her 7-month-old daughter maxwell with the words "big sis." in mobile, alabama, for us this morning, jim cantore. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. storm prediction center said we had as many as 34 tornadoes

yesterday. average for the month of december is 26. church behind me here heavily damaged, two sections of the roof have been torn off and dropped below. christmas morning, that church was full of people and parishioners attending christmas service. power poles have been taken down as well. the last thing people in mobile expected on christmas day was to be cleaning up after a tornado. >> oh, my god! look at that. >> reporter: this was the scene in downtown mobile, alabama, late tuesday afternoon, a tornado touched down in the city of about 200,000. >> oh, wow! check that tornado out. it's been on the ground now for over a minute. >> reporter: the christmas day tornado damaged buildings, brought down trees, power lines and ripped through the wall of this church.

workers in the area describe the scary moments. >> praying for everybody and everyone was kind of like in panic mode. >> reporter: earlier in the day, dramatic storm chaser video captured the scene in mcneill, mississippi. in texas at least three reported tornadoes touched down across the state tuesday. witnesses say the tornado the size of two football fields passed through an area about 100 miles north of houston. snow is also causing problems in areas unaccustomed to seeing a white christmas. dallas got hit with a rare snowfall, which made for dangerous driving conditions on the roadways. >> it's a mess. it's scary. >> reporter: a similar scene in lubbock, texas. crews were on the scene at this accident. in the houston area, strong winds toppled this tree on to a pickup truck, killing the driver. this morning, the huge winter system is on the move toward the northeast. and there are concerns it could

create a travel nightmare at the nation's busy airports when travelers are trying to get home after the christmas holiday. at the height of this last night, they estimated 25,000 customers without power. alabama power has been out all night working on debris powers like this, trying to get people's lights back on. from this point on, savannah, it only get colder as we get into the teeth of december. >> jim cantore, thank you. where are these storms headed next? maria larosa is tracking them for us, in for al. strong thunderstorms in the southeast. going forward in the afternoon, once again the highest tornado threat and wind threat will be eastern south carolina, eastern north carolina during the day today. strong wind possibility goes all the way from orlando up into virginia. another part of the story, the wind story. if you didn't get the wind damage yesterday you could see gusts as high as 40 miles per hour in the northeast. now you throw in falling snow

and blowing snow and you have blizzard warnings all the way up into ohio. look at the heavy snow into ohio. western pennsylvania. into new york state and northern new england. here we're talking about upwards of a foot of snow possible by the time we get into thursday and friday. notice indian apolis, columbus, six to nine inches, perhaps approaching a foot into parts of the ohio valley. snowfall will be up to two feet in the northeast. new disturbing details about the christmas eve ambush on firefighters in rochester, new york, coming from the gunman's own words. nbc's ron mott has the latest for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. police say these firefighters were lured into a trap on christmas eve, turning their already dangerous job deadly.

now we're learning more about this suspect and the chilling note police say he left behind. the massive christmas eve house fire in western new york had intense flames on all sides. >> it was a raging inferno up there. >> it became much more than just a fire when four firefighters showed up. suspected arsonist began shooting at firemen. >> we are being shot at. multiple firemen down. multiple firemen shot. i am shot. i think he's using an assault rifle. >> multiple shots being fired at the location. you are advised to stay away from the area until clear. >> 62-year-old william spengler, officials say, was well fortified with weapons and ammo, a .38 caliber handgun, 12-gauge shotgun and a bushmaster .22 rifle. it comes on the heels of a

deadly school shooting that killed six teachers and 20 students. firefighters tomasz k aaczowka and mike chiapperini were killed. two other firefighters were hospitalized. >> quote, i still have to see how much more of the neighborhood i can burn down and do what i like doing best, kill peop people. >> his 91-year-old mother died in october and made donations to the fire department. police want to know if that could be the possible motive in the deadly attack. >> motive is the burning question and we'll never really know what was going through this mind. >> reporter: funerals for the

two firefighters will be held sunday. the second one will be monday. savannah? >> ron mott, thank you. president obama is cutting short his christmas break with next week's fiscal cliff looming large. he plans to return to washington tonight after spending the holiday in hawaii. kristen welker is traveling with the president. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. the first lady and first daughters will remain here and continue their hawaiian holiday. the president and first lady spent part of their christmas visiting with troops stationed here in hawaii, thanking them for their service before they sat down and enjoyed a tradit n traditional christmas dinner. the night before president obama called service members stationed overse overseas. when president obama returns to d.c., he and lawmakers will have just days to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. here is where everything stands. last week house speaker john boehner failed to get his own bill through the house. so now things are in the s

senate's court. leaders there will have to come up with a compromise to avert the tax hikes and spending cuts set to go into effect during the first of the year. president obama had been working with house speaker john boehner, trying to get a big deal, but talks fell apart. so hopes for that have all but faded, the president conceding he would accept a smaller measure as long as it includes taxes going up on the wealthiest americans. if the country goes over the cliff, economists warn it could be dire. the average american would wind up paying about $2,000 more in taxes and eventually, savannah, if we go over the cliff and stay there, the economy could dip back into recession. now, lawmakers are also headed back to d.c. in fact, the senate is back in session tomorrow. savannah? >> short holiday. lot of work to do. kristen welker in honolulu. thank you. willie? former president george h.w. bush spent his christmas in a hospital after a series of

setbacks delayed his release. janet shamlian is there for us. good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning to you. doctors had hoped to speend the former president home for the holiday. due to what they are calling a turn for the worse, they were unable to do so. he spent the holiday here with his wife, barbara, and several family members. he was initially admitted here about a month ago for what was described at the time as a persistent cough. since that time doctors say he's developed other issues, including becoming very weak and he also has a low-grade fever. they tell nbc news they're optimistic he will recover. >> they're taking it one day at a time because he is 88. so given his advanced age, given some of the setbacks that he has had, they're just taking it one day at a time.

like i said, they're cautiously optimistic that they have his issues under control. we're trusting in their good word and a little prayer doesn't hurt and just hoping for the best. >> reporter: mcgrath says they had take-out chinese food for christmas dinner and mr. bush received e-mails and telephone calls from a number of family members and close friends. they say the extended stay has been challenging for the president because he is generally very active but he is in good spirits. meanwhile, mrs. bush, who is 87, has been making two trips a day here to visit her husband. willie, at this point there is no timeline set for the former president's release. back to you. >> janet shamlian, thanks i know we add our name to the long list of people wishing the president well. after what's been a disappointing holiday season, mara ca sharaschiavocampo has tt

story. >> reporter: last minute sales. early numbers show the lowest growth in years, many still found a way to buy for everyone on their list. one of the most popular ways to shop, online. >> online was the big surprise. early indications showed they're in 16%, 17% growth rates and that's big news for them. >> big ticket items brought in big bucks. flat screen tvs, laptops and tablets all did well early on. the gift that stepped out above the rest didn't even make the top ten last year, shoes. >> the big surprise this holiday season was the footwear business. running shoes did really well.

classic sneakers did really well. >> reporter: with the absence of many new or innovative products on the market, many consumers went more practical this year. >> home furnishings, small appliances, all these item that is traditionally are not big holiday items surfaced this issue. >> although the holiday is over, for some the shopping has just begun. >> when you stretch to give ges what the right gift is, inevitably you're giving the wrong gift. that means returns. >> reporter: when it comes to holiday sales numbers the piece of the puzzle that's still missing is post holiday shopping, which has already begun in many cases. it's known as second season. and those numbers are supposed to jump from last year. >> mara schiavocampo, thank you. a suicide bomber killed three people at a u.s. base in eastern afghanistan today. the taliban claims it was targeting afghan police posted

outside camp chapman. the surprise attack came after a trend of decreasing violence. japan has a new prime minister this morning. voted in today and immediately began installing a new cabinet. ending three years of liberal administration. a conservative known for supporting big business, he also serves as prime minister in 2006 and 2007. the announcement of the new prime minister drove japanese stock up this morning. amanda drury is live at the new york stock exchange with a look at the u.s. markets. good morning. >> good morning to you, savan h savannah. front and center for the markets and any hint of a deal definitely will bring out the buyers. as the home price data is important today. home prices are on the rise, lower inventory. holiday shopping, all the bargains to be had. we're watching stocks of retailers that are definitely hoping for a flurry of buyers that are hoping to get those

post holiday buyers. newtown, connecticut, police department, the entire force got the day off. cops from surrounding towns volunteered to cover their shift. newtown police have been working nonstop since 26 people, including 20 children, were killed over a week ago. a coat just like t-- hat jut like the coach used to wear. what did he find? tickets to the sold out bcs championship game. >> we're going to the game, pop! we're going to the game! >> can't even believe it. pretty good christmas, i would think. it is now 7:16. back over to you, savannah,

willie and maria. >> that's a live picture, actually. he's still -- >> that reaction doesn't surprise me at all. that's how big football is, especially alabama. >> tears of joy. >> that's great. >> cap and all. >> he was not that excited about the hat, we can reveal. but the tickets -- there you go. >> we're going to the game, pop! >> put it on a loop. >> how was your christmas? busy for the weather department. >> it was. it really was. widespread severe weather we've been talking about across the southeast. we're still watching strong thunderstorms come through this morning. but look at that snow on the northern fringe. blizzard warnings stretch everywhere you see the snow basically. as this system continues to push off to the north and east, severe weather threat once again, including tornadoes for eastern north carolina and eastern south carolina. but a wide damaging wind threat. from the southeast behind the system. but then again along with

showers and thunderstorms and the rain. along to the northern fringe, right on that borderline, icy mix potentially, including in through the new york metro area, especially later on tonight with changeover to snow and changeover to rain for the i-95 corridor. this could once again be a wind maker. that could be a problem for many of us. snowfall up wards of a foot and a half close to two feet in portions of the interior northeast and watching another storm out west. that's a look at your national forecast. we'll get a look at your local weather right after this. ink ca. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. >> rain and snow possible.

highs today and that's a look at your weather. savannah, willie, back to you. >> it's in eight out of ten kitchens in america but do you know how to use your glass cookware safely? >> the duke and duchess spend their christmas with the middletons. first this is "today" on nbc.

other than the fruitcake, are you returning anything? >> i don't think so. my family did pretty well. santa took good care of me. you can never have the i'm returning this gift. >> you perfected your fake smile? >> yes. >> can you show us what it looks like? >> thanks. >> it's really good. i really believed you. how to take the paper out of your holiday return if you're lucky enough to have to make one today. and baby news for jessica simpson. first your local news. for months, i had this deep pain all over my body.

it just wouldn't go away. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica.

don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. she gives me snickers peanut butter squared and i eat it. it's snickers with creamy peanut butter, would you like one? let's just keep an open mind. [ groans ] [ male announcer ] if you like peanut butter and chocolate, you'll love peanut butter and snickers. try snickers peanut butter squared. but that doesn't happen much anymore. the creative process never stops. and songwriting is so hard, but i love it. these days, i guess i just don't want to miss a thing. [ laughs ]

i miss you guys. that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] new windows phone. reinvented around you. ♪ yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's clearance time! up to 50% off seasonal decor. 50% off toys. apparel $3 to $9. walmart. and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport.

it's as easy as... -[ man ] 1... -[ woman ] 2... [ woman ] 3. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news i baltimore. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. christmas eve a double shooting in baltimore. a man was shot multiple times and later died at a hospital. second victim, a woman, walked into a local hospital with gunshot months to her stomach. -- gunshot wounds to her stomach.

here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> precipitation moving into the area. a couple accidents to avoid, what in the reisterstown region. then at greenspring and dupont ave, watch for an accident there. ghraib bridge toll plaza, moving well into the eastern shore. traffic continues to move well on southbound j.f.x. 95 at the tydings memorial asdge, and let's take a look we switch over to 295. ava, over to you. >> already watching as the snow builds from northern virginia tech hagerstown. southern areas are getting anywhere from a mixture to just

plain rain. even la plata may see a little bit of sleep. as far as accumulations go, let's look at that quick. the mountains to see more than that, from two inches to half a foot depending on the elevation. some accumulation possible out in baltimore. rain into the

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, december 26th, 2012. blizzard conditions today from arkansas to ohio. and as that storm moves east, it is causing some major travel headaches on a big day for travel. we'll get a live report in just a moment. morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside willie geist. it seems it was a very merry christmas for jessica simpson. mother of 7-month-old maxwell sent a tweet -- actually, maxwell sent that tweet revealing she's going to be a big sister soon. we'll have more on that story coming up. countdown to the fiscal cliff. what does it mean for you and your family if the country does,

in fact, go over the edge? we'll tell you now what you can do to protect yourself. >> the weather is a big story today. we'll begin this half hour with that post-christmas snow storm. the weather channel dave malkov is in fishers, indiana. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, s savannah. it is getting very windy and very snowy in fishers off i-69. this is nothing compared to what it's going to be like in the next half hour to hour where the wind starts to pick up and the snow starts to accumulate. we're talking about six to eight inches of snow on the ground here. that is -- could possibly push the record that we saw of the entire snowfall of the entire winter last year. we could see that all accumulate today here in indianapolis. this is not just a story for indianapolis. this is happening all over the midwest. we're seeing this come through central and southern illinois, central and southern indiana and southern ohio, all the way down

from columbus, down to cincinnati. you're going to see a lot of snow accumulating on the ground. now right now we are waiting for that snow to start really accumulating. the folks here in indianapolis, who were ready for this yesterday, putting trucks out on the road, putting all the magnesium chloride down there to make sure they are ready for the day. good thing there is no school today. good thing that most governments would be closed today, savannah? >> dave malkoff in indiana for us. thank you. let's get a check of the weather from maria larosa in for al this morning. good morning, maria. >> over 300 flights canceled already. chicago, dallas, indianapolis, some of the airports that are tracking the most closures -- or most cancellations i should say. from arkansas on up into ohio. windy conditions as well. blowing snow.

snow will be picking up in a lot of these areas through the afternoon. by tonight into places like western new york state we're talking six to nine inches in a wide area in blue. in purple, as much as a >> wintry weather possible for the morning. high stay near 40 degrees. it wintry and you can get a look at your forecast 24/7 at weather.com. just want to make sure. check off the bucket list. willie, back to you. >> maria, thank you very much. pyrex is one of the best

known products in our conditions but some incidents have led many to question how safe glass cookware is. pyrex says it's misleading and unfair. mike taibbi has our story. >> good morning. i have one and used to bake meatloaf in it. still works just fine. number of reported incidents of glass cookware failing, including pyrex products, has increased significantly. world kitchen, parent company for the pyrex brand, says their glass cookware is in eight out of every ten american homes with hundreds of millions of uses per year. and they say only a tiny number of those uses has led to any complaints. mostly, the company says, from impact breakage when the piece has been dropped or banged into something. one nonimpact complaint is from 70-year-old debbie parker of michigan.

she made her traditional casserole this week but can't forget the one she made two years ago served to her family. >> there was a large explosion and we looked down and the casserole was just shattered. the glass was shattered. >> she later called world kitchen, which sells some 40 million pyrex pieces a year. when she described what happened was offered a replacement. >> i laughed. i said like i want another one of these. >> reporter: every pyrex product comes with clear instructions, preheat the often. set any hot dish down, add liquid to the food product being cooked and don't use on a stovetop or in a broiler. some who have complained of breakage admit ignoring those instructions but alleged incidents involving all glass cookware, including pyrex, logged by the food and product safety commission have increased, to 76 in 2009, 125 in 2010, 144 the next year and 93

so far in 2012, generally upward trend says another consumer website. >> we hear more complaints about this than any other kitchen appliance or utensil or accessory. it's not as indestructible as we thought it was, i guess. >> two years ago, consumer reports produced a breaking point by overheating sand instead of food products at oven temperatures much higher than recommended and then placing the wet dish on a wet granite counter top. world kitchen called that demonstration seriously flawed and labeled as inaccurate, misleading and invalid, article by two scientists writing for the ceramic society who called glass cookware borderline safe for use. they are now suing the magazine alleging defamation. >> we were all just shocked. >> reporter: keepers of the

pyrex brand says their products have stood the test of time. they said pyrex glassware has an exemplary safety record, based on its safe and reliable use by millions of families for generations. incident of breakage of any kind are a tiny fraction of one percent of the hundreds of millions of pyrex glassware products safely used in american homes. it's made of a different composition of glass than pyrex years ago. world kitchen disputes that, saying it's been making pyrex products the same the last 60 years. surprising holiday tradition of the duchess of cambridge's house. first, these messages. ♪ i -- i got it, i got it made ♪

♪ i got it made, i got it made ♪ ♪ i got it made fresh at subway ♪ ♪ breakfast made the way i say ♪ [ male announcer ] at subway, you got it made. try a steak, egg white & cheese, tricked out any way you want. subway. eat fresh. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. today is going to be epic. quaker up. ...but he'd wait for her forever, for any reason, and would always be there with the biggest welcome home. for a love this strong, dawn only feeds him iams. compared to other leading brands, it has 50% more animal protein. ...to help keep rocky's body as strong as a love that never fades... if he ever lets her leave again.

iams. keep love strong. [ female announcer ] holiday cookies are a big job. everything has to be just right. perfection is in the details. ♪ get to holiday fun faster with pillsbury cookie dough. looks like your bags didn't make it. we'll send them to your hotel. [ sad music playing ] this is fun. [ sad music continues ] [ knock on door ] your bags, sir. thanks. both: finally! one taste, and you'll understand. enjoy delicious dunkin' donuts coffee anytime. best vacation ever! pick some up where you buy groceries. america runs on dunkin'.

back now at 7:41 with "today's" money. smart financial moves you should make before the end of the year with the fiscal cliff looming, there are ways to save yourself money down the road. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. good morning, jean. >> nice to see you. >> this has real world impact on people watching the show, people across the country. >> absolutely. >> let's talk about a few of those. a lot of business owners like to defer some of their income to pay tax in the next year. you say maybe pay now. >> maybe pay now. what we don't know is where taxes are going. we know they're probably going up. if you can pay taxes on income that's owed to you this year rather than next year you're generally going to make out, which means working the phones,

calling people and saying, hey, if you could pay me in the next couple of days, that would be awesome. >> what if the payroll tax goes up next year, how do you handle that now? >> wherever the deal falls on the fiscal cliff, it looks like the payroll tax is going up. that will mean about $1,000 in additional taxes, 75% of americans get tax refunds. if you're one of them, adjust your withholding. make sure you're withholding a little less and taking the money now so that you can sort of temper the effect of the fiscal cliff. >> what about retirement accounts, which ones you'll be giving to and how much? >> deadline for iras is not until april. you don't have to worry about that. if you haven't made your full contribution into a 401(k), that's something you want to consider doing before the end of the year. people can kick in up to $17,000. people over 50 can kick in $5,000 more than that, which is huge. call your 401(k) provider and

ask them specifically, what do i need to do to get a check to you in time? it may involve express mail in some way, shape or form. >> you're recommending that some people should think about converting to a roth ira. first of all, what is roth and why should you move that direction? >> unlike a traditional ira, you pay the taxes now and then you never have to pay taxes again in the future. this is one of those moves, if you think that taxes are going up for you, you're better off paying those taxes now. there are a couple of guidelines. you don't have to convert your entire ira account. a lot of people think you do. you can convert just a portion. you only want to convert the portion that you have the money on the side to pay those taxes. you don't want to be pulling money out of your ira to pay taxes on a roth conversion. if you decide in the coming year that you don't like the fact that you did this, you can unwind it up till october. >> a lot of people have flexible spending accounts. how do i handle that one?

>> some companies give you till march. some only give you till the end of the year. if it's the end of the year, it's use it or lose it money. you buy contact lenses, get new glasses. you go to drugstore.com which actually has this very nifty fsa store of all the sort of things you can buy over the counter and they're running a 15% coupon. >> one i hadn't thought about is medical insurance. if you have already used the deductible for 2012, might be a good idea to sneak in an appointment. >> if your doctor happens to be working through the end of the year, this is a good time to pick up the phone. >> one more for us. charity deductions. this is a big one. we don't know if that will be around. >> one of the things people are talking about. go to charitynavigator.org to check out any charity you're thinking of writing a check to. if you're going to give old stuff to goodwill or the salvation army, it has to be in good condition to get the charity write-off.

and a widget that's called it's deductible so you can figure out what you have to put on that receipt. by the way, you have to get a receipt. >> a lot of people hoping that that deduction is not one that goes away. >> include iing me. >> jean chatzky, thank you very much. happy holidays. good to see you. jessica simpson has confirmed she is expecting again. while the pregnant duchess of cam bridge takes her royal heart home for the holidays. but that doesn't happen much anymore. the creative process never stops. and songwriting is so hard, but i love it. these days, i guess i just don't want to miss a thing. [ laughs ] i miss you guys. that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] new windows phone. reinvented around you. ♪ here's a better idea.

pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away

if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbaa.lt dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's clearance time! up to 50% off seasonal decor. 50% off toys. apparel $3 to $9. walmart.

back at 7:48. much to celebrate for britain's royal family. they also found some breaks with tradition. michelle kosinski joins us. >> reporter: prince william and kate choosing her family over

the royals, prince harry is in afghanistan and the queen is in 3d. because i know you've been wondering this holiday, what are those royals up to? just like any family, the royal ones have to roll with it. the queen has been fighting a bad cold. but beamed in turquoise for the crowd outside church that started arriving at 4:00 am, presenting her with bouquets, treats for her corgis and a teddy bear, no doubt just what she had been hoping for. brilliant hats on display, prince philip looking fit. last year r, remember, he was in the hospital with a heart problem. this time william and kate were the ones away, forging their own path, spending this christmas with the middletons, kate describe described as looking pale, tired, her hair pulled back wearing a simple coat she's worn before. prince william at her side with her family. >> he was just been able to adapt to a situation. his wife is pregnant.

she wants to be with her mom and dad. he's quite happy for that to happen. i think that shows that the queen is quite happy to take his lead on things like that, too. >> reporter: a middleton christmas, according to an article written by pippa, blissfully home. they will be treated to mr. middleton dressing up in costume. one year an inflatable suomo t outfit. >> there is a bit of dressing up there. the biggest, shall we say, excitement is playing charades. many are famous people they've met during the years. >> reporter: in afghanistan, prince harry has been fighting the taliban as an apache helicopter pilot. more than 4,000 miles away, the queen also made some history this modern holiday by taping her christmas message in 3d. >> i wish you all a very happy

christmas. >> reporter: describing all the outpouring in 2012 as humbling. >> good evening, mr. bond. >> good evening, your majesty. >> reporter: action-packed year to be royal, indeed. at some point, william and kate will likely head up for some royal time. this time around they'll be missing out on exchanging gag gifts with the queen, formal dinner, multiple outfit changes and crawling through brush while shooting. who doesn't want all of those things? savannah? >> they do gag gifts at the royal palace? i didn't know. that's a new one on me. >> could be real fun. >> whoopie cushion for the queen? >> not that fruitcake. >> that's not even funny. jessica simpson tweeted out she's pregnant just seven months after giving birth to her first child, released it in a tweet with her 7-month-old daughter

maxwell dressed in candy cane outfit with the words "big sis" spelled out. >> let's assume it was three months or so. this is almost irish twins we're talking about. the babies would be about 13 months apart. >> yes. >> very bus. >> i think your math is close enough. that's really close in time. >> congratulations, jessica simpson. >> congratulations to them. >> yes, it is. those dreaded holiday returns. we'll try to make it easier. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them. visit usps.com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. any time of year. ♪ nice sweater. thank you. ♪ thank you.

with a new project in mind, some how-to knowledge to give us an new years clutter is no match for someone with big ideas. edge, and more savings down every aisle. it only takes a few twists and turns for those bright ideas to make the new year even brighter. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. start fresh and save with hdx 20 gallon totes, a special buy at just $5.88 a piece. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker oats. today is going to be epic. quaker up. today is going to be epic. oh, it's great! now i can brew my coffee just the way i love it.

how do you do that? well, inside the brewer, there's this train that's powerful enough to carry more coffee and fresh water to make coffee that's stronger and bigger... and even hotter! actually, i just press this button. brew the coffee you love -- stronger, bigger, or hotter -- with the keurig vue. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card

and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. here is sarah caldwell. >> not tracking any problems related to weather, but if you're heading out in the next few minutes, you are doing well on 295 and 97 at the airport. picking up the volume in the area of baltimore national pike. website in the area of harrisburg expressway, -- north side and 80 area of harrisburg expressway.

so far so good on the harrisburg expressway. conditions are expected to deteriorate, weather-wise. ava has more on that. >> we are watching the wintry mix across the state. twitter followers are telling me reports of sleet. watching this all built in, the roads could be slippery. frederick could see anywhere from one to two inches to the early afternoon hagerstown, two to four inches. baltimore itself cannot see more than an inch of snow. as for the lower eastern shore, this is just our rain event for you. starting off with the wintry mix and then changing to rain down in the afternoon.

bentonite it could be a wintry mix. -- then it tonight it could be a wintry mix. saturday, another possibility for snow.

♪ 8:00 now on this wednesday morning, the 26th of december, 2012. and we are saying hello to everyone on the plaza and watching one of our favorite moments from the plaza, a record-breaking handspringer. that is a high school cheerleader who did the most consecutive handsprings ever and then did some on our plaza, on a very chilly day, as i recall. who else made the world guinness record book this year. an interesting list. i'm savannah guthrie alongside willie geist, in for matt. >> hope everyone had a nice

christmas. it turns to some of those gift returns today. maybe the joy of the season diminished today as you head out to the mall. we'll try to make it easier for you as you head out to go shopping again today. >> portrayed by harrison ford, ben affleck. now the honor falls to chris pine on a new movie about the cia agent. >> we sit down with perhaps the biggest star in all of hollywood, leonardo dicaprio, talking about his new role in the quentin tarantino film "django unchained." we showed you the gentleman who got the football tickets for christmas, was moved to tears. we'll talk to him in a couple of moments. we called him. he will be on the phone with us in a few moments. we want to check in with erica hill who is in for natalie at the news desk. good morning again. >> good morning again.

a powerful winter storm is making its way east today, one day after leaving a trail of destruction and death from mississippi to alabama. the storm is blamed for at least three deaths and has also forced the cancellation of hundred of flights. chilling new information about the man who ambushed and killed two firefighters and wounded two others on christmas eve before taking his own live. according to investigators, remains found in spegler's home likely belonged to his missing sister who lived with him. he also left a three-page letter saying he wanted to do, quote, what he liked doing best, killing people. president obama cutting his hawaiian vacation short, heading back to washington to cut a deal as the fiscal cliff looms. his wife and two daughters are staying in hawaii.

president george h.w. bush is in the hospital spent the holiday there with his wife and family members. grew at the weakest pace since the 2008 recession. many analysts had expected much stronger numbers. deadly attack in afghanistan today. vehicle driven by a suicide bomber explode at a u.s. military base killing the attacker and three others. the taliban claimed responsibility. a quick roundup of what has you talking on dline. mr. affleck is not going to washington. he announced on facebook he will not run for john kerry's senate seat in massachusetts. that job will be up for grabs in senator kerry is confirmed to be to become the next secretary of state. it look like chris brown and

rihanna are on the rebound, for the first time in years showing up in public together sidecourt of the knicks game christmas day, just the next chapter in what's been a very stormy relationship. lap of luxury, video just released by the white house, first dog bo stealing the show as he jumped into the first lady's lap while reading to a group of kids in the hospital. >> this is exactly what he does at home. he tries to beat malia and sasha to my lap. >> she also called bo, quote, the big baby in the room. now a check of the weather with maria larosa, in for al. >> announcer: "today's" weather is brought to you by subway. subway, get breakfast the way.

>> picking up several more inches over the next few days. we can see that system pushing off to the east. that eastern system will continue to bring the severe weather threat from the carolinas into parts of the southeast. and snow on the northern fringe, blizzard warnings stretching the entire way. winter storm warnings for much of the interior northeast, in to new england. coastal areas, new york, boston could see a sleet mix as we get into the overnight hours. snowfall totals, areas in darker pink, upwards of a foot or more >> rain and snow possible. highs today

>> and we want to give a quick happy birthday. anyone in particular you want the hug from? >> from my wife. >> there you go. good answer. >> that is a smart man, maria. thank you so much. coming up a little later, we'll help to make those holiday gift returns a little easier. up next, we'll show you the man a little earlier was moved to tear tears from a gift he received from his son. we will talk to father and son next, but first these messages. but that doesn't happen much anymore. the creative process never stops. and songwriting is so hard, but i love it. these days, i guess i just don't want to miss a thing. [ laughs ] i miss you guys.

that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] new windows phone. reinvented around you. ♪ oh, did you want it? yea we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light, buttery and flakey. that's half that's not half! guys, i have more! thanks mom [ female announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's clearance time! up to 50% off seasonal decor. 50% off toys. apparel $3 to $9. walmart. for their annual football trip. that's double miles you can actually use.

tragically, their buddy got sacked by blackouts. but it's our tradition! that's roughing the card holder. but with the capital one venture card you get double miles you can actually use. [ cheering ] any flight, anytime. the scoreboard doesn't lie. what's in your wallet? hut! i have me on my fantasy team. a delicious new way to get essential vitamins you need. just bite into the tasty shell... to a chewy vitamin core for a unique multivitamin sensation! new centrum flavor burst. for a unique multivitamin sensation! hershey's makes smiles. smiles make more smiles.

when the chocolate is hershey's. life is delicious. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills.

did you get everything you wanted for christmas? judging by his reaction, a guy called don buckhammen sure did. >> and then some. his family surprised him with tickets to next month's championship game. >> fit him i guess. >> hey. >> we're going to the game, pop! we're going to the game! >> we're going to the game, pop! and don is with us now on the phone along with his son, daniel. good morning to you both. merry christmas. >> good morning. merry christmas to you, too. >> it's good enough to get the houndstooth cap as an alabama fan. then you look inside. what were you feeling? >> total, total shock.

i had no clue. first i have never been to an alabama game in my life, much less the national championship game. and i don't know, when i looked in the hat and the first thing i saw was the bcs emblem on that ticket. and knowing what a hard ticket it is to get and knowing that they're not cheap, it just -- i was just shocked. it just blew me away. >> daniel, i guess you're just going for son of the year honors here. how hard was it to get that ticket? i know it was not cheap. >> it was not cheap, but it's one of those things where i was on a mission. i was able to find one a little cheaper than the going rate. we just took the dive and went for it. >> so glad he did. >> don, handicap the game for me a little bit. do you think they're going to

roll with you watching? >> i hope they're going to roll. i'm one of those guys that, you know, i know the notre dame fans are hoping for the same thing. i think it's going to be a close game. win or lose, i'm going to have a blast. just being there. >> absolutely. >> the atmosphere, being in the stadium. especially with my son. if you could ever go to any kind of game, especially a family game with my son, with daniel. it would -- you would see why i get so excited. >> don, judging by your reaction, i'm thinking maybe you didn't even like that hat that much. >> i loved the hat. i did! and it was -- i mean, i saw the hat at a cracker barrel store back in october and daniel's wife, my daughter-in-law, saw me go, oh, man, i like this hat. so she made a mental note. >> sounds like you had a great christmas. merry christmas to both of you.

>> thank you so much. >> let us be the first to say to you on national tv, roll tide. >> i just taught her that, guys. >> no, i knew that one. all right, guys. >> merry christmas. have a blast. >> merry christmas, y'all. >> i have notre dame fans out there, ready to kill me. but that's okay. how to make this year's holiday returns quick and easy. behind the scenes look at the make iing of the new jack r movie, coming up right after this. make it. we'll send them to your hotel. [ sad music playing ] this is fun. [ sad music continues ] [ knock on door ] your bags, sir. thanks. both: finally! one taste, and you'll understand. enjoy delicious dunkin' donuts coffee anytime. best vacation ever! pick some up where you buy groceries. america runs on dunkin'.

aunt sally's singing again. it's a tradition, honey. [ singing christmas carols ] mmmm. [ female announcer ] make new traditions with pillsbury grands! cinnamon rolls. [ male announcer ] bbq bliss. topped with pickles and slivered onions. real pork for real pork lovers. the one and only mcdonald's mcrib. more deliciousness to love. ♪ bada-ba-ba-ba! i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. yeah, our low prices are even lower.

we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's clearance time! up to 50% off seasonal decor. 50% off toys. apparel $3 to $9. walmart. but that doesn't happen much anymore. the creative process never stops. and songwriting is so hard, but i love it. these days, i guess i just don't want to miss a thing. [ laughs ] i miss you guys. that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] new windows phone. reinvented around you. ♪

back now at 8:15 with one downside to the holiday season, all those returns. how to take some of the pain out of the process at the moment. first, nbc's kerry sanders is at the aventura mall in florida, trying to get a jump on his returns. >> reporter: good morning. i'll probably get busted for this, but it your sister give you something that you just aren't going to wear or your brother gave you something that you just don't need? if that is the case and you have the stamina and patience, you can join all of those who will be going to the return desk. according to the national retail federation, more than $2 billion worth of items being returned are being fraudulently returned. usually those are items that are stolen, then returned with fake receipts, which means the process of returning today for many people will go very slowly.

>> it's long lines. you have to wait in the long line to return something. i would rather be home. >> eating christmas cookies. >> like a million people in line. you can never get to the front of the line. >> what's annoying about returning gifts on the holidays is that everyone is doing it. so the employees are really annoyed that everyone is bringing back these things and most of the time they don't want to help you out. >> i had something without a gift receipt. when i went into the store, it was a sale item. so with no gift receipt and having it be a sale item it was pointless to even return it. >> you don't have any kind of gift receipt for them to give you an exchange, they give you hassle about giving you store cred credit. >> restocking fees, they charged me 50% to restock it. and i thought that was a little -- little high.

they get half their money back. i didn't like that. >> people tried to return things that they had clear iron marks on and said they wanted to bring it back. we also had people try to bring back things that they, themselves, picked out with a monogram and then just decided they don't want. not okay to return a monogrammed item. >> reporter: what is it about getting gifts that you don't need but your brother does? >> regifting, that's tomorrow's segment. this is the season to return. when is the worst time to go? >> we're right in the eye of the storm now. today will be pretty bad. this is main shopping week. it will be very bad but probably reach a pinnacle right after new year's when people start going back to work and they start

getting down to business, thinking about returns rather than buying. >> let's talk about how to have many happy returns. first step is bring an i.d. why are they requiring i.d.? >> because of theft and the idea of fraudulent returns, multibillion dollar problem this time of the year. three-quarters of retailers actually require a governmen government-issued i.d. even if you have a receipt. so chances are if you don't bring one, you may be out of luck. >> serial returners? >> people looking to return items with fake receipts, maybe they've been used or stolen. >> you mentioned the receipt. we know it is very important to have one. >> it is the holy grail. the terms of the time you have are always pretty much written on the receipt. if you bought it during the holiday season any time from november 1st on, relax. the clock doesn't start ticking for returns until today for most of those retailers. you probably have anywhere from

30 to 60 days from now. >> if you have no receipt you are not completely out of luck necessarily? >> if you don't have a receipt it makes it more problematic. again, not only do you need an i.d., but you're going to get the lowest amount that the item sold for, not what the person paid. obviously this time of year, markdowns are king. one day to the next to the next, you see all those markdowns. somebody paid 100. now it's marked down to 18. you're out of luck. >> read the fine print, which is often on the receipt, isn't it? >> think about it. personal electronics, home electronics have a much shorter leash to return than you would think for clothing, say. clothing is a big item. generally the terms are very liberal with home electronics, you may get only seven to 14 days, maybe 30 days. can't be used or taken out of the packaging. lest you pay a restocking fee up to 75%. unless you're dealing with high-end fashion, jewelry, you

cut th tags off, you may be out of luck. >> think twice before opening the box or removing the tags? >> absolutely. if you're not sure you want it, don't rip it apart, take off the tags or the labels because that way, you know -- there's a term called wardrobing for high-end fashion and jewelry. people use these nice dresses and nice bags and jowlry to go to parties and then say i'm going to return them. if you snip those tags you could be snipping yourself to big bucks. >> retailers are on to that one. know where to return items. this can vary. you buy something online. a lot of people want to return it to the brick and mortar store. >> online shopping has become more mainstream. more and more merchants are taking back items that you bought online. but not always. sports authority is an exception. you want to read those terms. you don't want to make a trip and find out that the store won't take it back. >> some will do free shipping for the return but you need to find out if you might need an

authorization online? >> don't just take the package, bring it to the post office and ship it off. you might need a return merchandise authorization. it's important but can save you a lot of aggravation. >> thank you very much. >> my pleasure. >> now here's willie. jack ryan, he comes from the pages of tom clancy novels. a number of actors have tackled the role. now a new one is gearing up for his moment in the spotlight. michelle kosinski has the exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the up dcoming thriller. >> reporter: when the day kicks off with a stern warning to brace yourself, things get interesting. rushing water, all in a cold wet morni morning's work for the new cia hero jack ryan, actor chris pine. do you get nervous? >> i don't necessarily like water.

they're turning on the jet skis right now. >> reporter: you may have a problem. >> i know. >> reporter: this, the latest in the series that's been going strong, real strong and smart for more than two decades, starting with "the hunt for red october" back when graphics were sketchy, glass big, cartoony and russian nuclear sub our biggest fear. >> battle stations. >> battle stations. >> reporter: alec baldwin first played the good-hearted government hero who always finds time for his kids, wife. and intense glares, harrison ford was jack ryan twice. >> i want back in. >> colombian drug lords, politicians. >> this is our money. we found it. >> and full-on nuclear war. technology great, not so great. radiation of a monster sized

cell phone and never hesitating to go slow mo when necessary. kevin costner was out to play jack ryan but was bus which "dances with wolves" back then. now he is in this one. >> you don't get to be jack ryan. >> i saw that right away. no, i'm really comfortable with the part i'm playing, supporting jack ryan, as he makes his way. >> hey, you get to be ci aa. >> it's always fun to get the bad guy. i've got all my stuff on me. you just don't see any of it. >> reporter: today, ten years since the last one, arch rival is a russian billionaire looking to manipulate financial markets. played by an actor who has done a lot of shakespeare, now the director. battling with his bare fists. >> something decent really in the best possible way american about him. >> reporter: wait, what's that? enormous london set is itself playing a new york city sewer.

i don't smell the new york sewer aroma. >> there's all sorts of signs here. >> reporter: no rats. >> we're having them flown in, obviously, because they have to have the right accent. >> reporter: jack ryan is that american hero who never expects to be one. >> i'm only an analyst. >> who, me? >> i'm an analyst. i don't -- i don't go on the, you know, mission. >> right. sure, jack. >> i'm used to playing bigger -- >> reporter: bigger egos? >> bigger egos, i guess, yeah. fundamentally, he's a good guy. what makes jack so great is that he's a really good guy. >> hasn't aged a bit. still battling the world's politically motivated bad guys, get ready. for "today," michelle koss kinsky, nbc news, london. >> we were just talking here on the set. favorite jack ryan? >> harrison ford. anything after hans solo. >> he had you at hans solo?

>> don't forget about alec baldwin, though. >> he's good but again hanssolo. >> the best of 2012. >> and everythingnd >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> let's get a check on the morning commute with sarah caldwell. getting messy. >> we will update you on what is happening. 53 miles per hour on 295. you can see eight little bit of a delay eastbound and westbound 100 to and from 95. here is a live pictures. no delays, but the roads are wet. so far so good on the entire beltway. 65 miles per hour southbound.

white marsh, moving well. no delays to report at this hour. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava has more on the forecast. >> snow building in at in the western part of the state. it's a little bit of ice could be mixed in as well. fredericktown it could see one to two inches. hagerstown west, maybe more than that. baltimore itself after light achaemeni came as -- after lead accumulation should change to rain. high 41 tomorrow with partly sunny skies. partly sunny on friday. we again have to watch for it a little bit of snow on saturday.

>> thanks for joining us. back with another update at 8:56.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the 26th day of december, 2012. we're so happy to see all these folks that rolled out of bed on the day after the holiday morning. come say hello to us. chilly day out here on rockefeller plaza. but a nice one. we say good morning to them.

i'm savannah guthrie here with willie geist in for matt and erica hill in for natalie morales. electronics and items that will help you with the dreaded housework. >> how about some guinness world records this year? remember zeus, the world's tallest dog? >> thought that was a horse. >> felix baumgartner, plunged from out er space? apparently a small car and a lot of people involved as well. >> also, why do some people really struggle with memory loss later in life while others never forget a thing? doctors are hoping to learn something from so-called super agers. >> we'll pay close attention to that one. it all goes downhill after 40 in my experience. >> wow! >> we won't know. we're not 40 yet. >> we won't ask you, erica. >> you're doing great.

>> my birthday is tomorrow. so i'm going even further into the abyss. >> that is positive. strong thunderstorms across the southeast and midatlantic, tornadoes possible eastern north carolina, south carolina today. on the northern fringe it's an icy mix to heavy snow, including blizzard warnings stretching from arkansas this morning into parts of the ohio valley. eventually even an icy mix potentially for new york city on into boston. inland snow upwardsative foot and a half. western systems still producing snow. extremely cold. likely see a lot of areas with windchills well below zero much of the day. the sun comes out across the south and the southeast. >> wintry weather possible for the morning. high stay near 40 degrees. it wintry

>> and you can always get a check of your forecast 24/7 at weather.com. time now to check in with our good friend, willie. >> it's a tradition. and i have made it a tradition on the "today" show, the white house christmas tree ornament. this features william howard taft, price is about $18. you just look it up on whitehouse.gov. that's all there is to it. they're nice. i've got about 20 of these. now, if you will, check out our smuckers birthday buddies. we love them very much. virgil gnuse, overland, missouri, 100 years old. loves to play the banjo.

back in the days of pearl pritchard. yes, did he. w.c. fields didn't like it. geraldine palmer from garfield heights, ohio, 100 years old. likes to go fishing and very active in her church. hamlet campagna, river edge, new jersey, 100 years old today. creator of maggie and chase, famous, famous cartoon for many years, 50 years at least. helen perkins is 100 years old today from concord, new hampshire, and says she wants to live long enough to seen everything. she's seen herself on tv and i'm sure she's proud of that. beautiful. we have clarence lott jr. in atlanta, georgia, 100 years old today. attributes his longevity to his

supporting wife. how about that? that's very sweet. and from smuckers, polly chandler from heber springs, arkansas, 100 years old today. and she makes peen brittle. alfred pick from philadelphia, pennsylvania. he is 100 years old today. his sister is also 100 years today. he is a holocaust survivor. and we wish him a happy birthday. loves philadelphia baseball team, the phillies. that's it. that's all. back to new york, our number one team in the country. >> willard, merry christmas to you. and the best of 2012. first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:38 with "today's" consumer. this morning we are checking out some of the best products of the year. lisa lee friedman is editor in chief of shop smart magazine. good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. >> the best of the best, how did you decide what makes the list and what dos doesn't? >> we have to test literally thousands of products each year. and shop smart features many of them. all year we sit down with the tech people, with the -- in the laboratories, with editors and we literally talk for weeks to figure out what are our favorite products of the year. electronics, appliances and every area that we test. >> sounds kind of fun. >> these are some of the ones we picked. >> apple tv. why do you like this product? >> this is a great product. look at this tiny little elegant b box. you literally connect it to the back of your set and immediately you can connect, get all kinds of movies through netflix, if

you have other apple devices you can stream your photos and other content and do a slide show right on your television set. it's super easy to use. >> convert it is to a smart tv in some ways. >> that's a great way to put it. >> i didn't even plan that. >> that's very good. >> a lot of ereaders on the market. this nook one was your favorite. why? >> the simple touch is the top rated ereader and the great thing about it is if you like reading in bed like i do, it has a glow light built right in. you don't have to bring a reading light to bed. if you're reading in bright sunlight, that's also great. it has an anti-glare screen on it. if you're on the beach, in bed, wherever you are. it has fast page turning and opens books really quickly. great to use. >> great size. >> yes, not too tiny. >> items on the home. this looks very space age. >> it's kind of -- i think it's

elegant for a counter top. it's one of the podiatry coffee makers, which everybody loves now. it's about $150, which is about what they go for. pod coffee makers are great. you can make one cup at a time and everybody gets what they want, decaf, hot cocoa, whatever. it makes the coffee really fast. it's super ease toy use. the brewing performance is the best. >> easy to find the pods? that's always the tricky thing. >> that's the only down side to this, you have to use these nescafe pods. some other pod coffee makers take different ones. this is our top rated pod coffee maker. >> it's cute. pod inside a pod. >> i like that. >> this juicer, what's so special about that? >> this is a great kitchen gadget. it's got a really large rim, makes it easy to squeeze any type of citrus fruit. it comes with a measuring cup. you squeeze exactly what you need into a measuring cup.

don't forget this. it's a thermostat. >> how could i forget this? >> it senses when you're home. it adjusts the heat accordingly. it'st essentially programs itself. you can remotely control it with a smart phone or computer. it's a great little gadget. >> it works on any thermostat? >> no, it is a thermostat. >> it actually is a thermostat? okay. i was like, wow, that's quite -- >> it kind of works almost like a little app or something. it's beautiful. >> looks great. now to food. this is a splurge, this sauce, but well worth it? >> it's $8. it beats making homemade and it tastes like homemade, fresh garlic and tomato flavors and beat out all the other pasta sauces we taste tested, sitting on top of this 365 everyday

value tomorrow ato sauce which n get from whole foods. >> you mean the pasta? >> yes, the pasta is $2. if you tried whole wheat pasta in the past and didn't like it -- >> i v it's a little on the tasteless side. >> some people don't like the graininess. this was the best one we taste tested. taste testers raved about this one. >> great. >> and only two bucks. >> two bucks. >> you can afford the yummy sauce. >> why not? >> what do we have here? not the lint lizard yet. >> no. this is our top rated dish detergent. super easy to use. pods that you drop in. when you're finished with your pasta and spaghetti sauce you can use your cascades pods and just keep them away from kids. kids are eating the pods. make sure they're not -- they look like candy, they're so pretty. >> i've been really excited about this lint lizard situation. tell us how this works. >> this is one of my favorite products. this is about $11 for two of them. it's an infomercial product.

the lint lizard is great because every year a lot of people get dryer fires in their house. lint gets caught in the trap and you can't get it. lint lizard is used to get all the lint out of the trap. it prevents dryer fires and makes your dryer work better. great little device and something on my list. >> my favorite thing about it is that you don't have to scoop in with your hands and catch all that lint. >> which is kind of gross. >> people can go to shop smart? >> shop smartmag.org. find out what other best products of the year are in there. >> lisa lee, thank you very much. happy holidays. >> you, too. >> we're back with more of "today" right after this.

back now at 8:45 with an elite group taking part in some

breakthrough research. chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman introduces us to the super agers. >> look what i found, grace. look at this one. this is when we were dancing our tap dance. >> 83-year-olds evelyn finnegan and grace papp are two peas in a pod. >> we've been friends since 1943, met in our first year latin class in high school. >> it's very important to me to be able to know i could always go to evelyn for support, for advice. >> grace makes me smile all the time. >> reporter: for the past three years, evelyn and grace have been subjects in the first of its kind research study. >> we were given a test over the telephone, name all the animals that you can that start with a. >> reporter: researchers believe there is something so fascinating and so unique about their brains that they have named them super agers. >> super agers are individuals who are over age 80 and have

memory like 50 to 60-year-olds. >> reporter: neuroscientists believe what makes these elders different may change everything we know about the development of dementia and alzheimer's and how it could be prevented all together. >> work in the field of alzheimer's disease is what's going wrong with the brain. this is taking the flip side of the approach and we want to know what's going right with the brain. >> reporter: her team compared the brains of super agers to the brains of subjects 20 to 30 years younger. >> as we age it seems like most everyone was losing at least a little bit of their memory, but our goal is to see if we could find individuals who didn't experience this memory loss. >> reporter: mri scans showed striking differences deep inside the brain. in an area responsible for attenti attention. >> in the super agers it was thicker than it was in the 50 to

60-year-olds. >> reporter: the second surprising finding was the thickness of the cortex, outer most part of the brain. this area usually shrinks with age and is noticeably thinner in those with dementia. what explains the differences in the brains of super agers? >> they feel strongly about their diet and exercise and other super agers who say i like to have a martini every day at 5:00. maybe that means there's more than one path to super aging. >> reporter: for researchers, a new path to understanding dementia. >> the goal with this study is to identify factors that might contribute to super aging. hopefully some of those will be modifiable factors that then we can use as strategies to help those avoid demen tichlttia. >> we always wonder how much longer do we have. >> we would like to say hey, there's a shot that you can be

over age 80 and have this outstanding memory. >> reporter: memory of lives well lived and of enduring friendship that has withstood the test of time. ♪ they can't take that away from me ♪ >> we should all have such sharp mind minds. coming up next, the guinness world records set in 2012. but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:51 with 12 record-breaking moments for 2012. the list has a bit of everything, from a simple tweet to a death-defying leap. stewart glassman joins us. how do you get to the top 12? >> we try to select the most remarkable and headline-granning, i suppose, moments of the year. it was amazing not only for the individual feats themselves, but the list is ecclectic enough to show you the whole breadth. >> the president in the record books. >> indeed. on election night his tweets of "four more years" retweeted the most in 24 hours. in fact, it was retweeted 771,635 times, garnering the

guinness world record for the most widespread social message in 24 hours. something else he can be pleased about. >> who held the most tweeted tweet before that? >> a young man by the name of justin bieber, who on his 18th birthday shared a message happy birthday, spread 251,817 times. >> not a close second actually. >> the president knocks the biebs off his perch this year. >> indeed. >> remarkable piece of video when felix baumgartner jumped from the edge of space. >> indeed. if there's one moment that captures guts and determination, then it's this jump and this man. felix baumgartner setting several records, including the highest freefall distance and the highest freefall speed, respectively. over 125,000 feet was the jump and he actually reached the maximum speed of 833 miles an hour, which was quite remarkable. >> a lot of people watched that

online, too. >> exactly. exactly. at the same time, the footage of this, as it was live streamed, was viewed over 18 million times simultaneously from people all over the world. so hats off to mr. baumgartner, he truly encompasses what record breaking is all about. >> i've been asking about this dog all morning. >> i know, this dog which looks like a horse. >> zeus. >> world's tallest dog? >> has to be. >> not the world's tallest dog but the world's tallest dog ever in the history. >> really? >> yes, indeed. zeus is a great dane, three years old, weighs about 100 -- >> look at that. as tall as his owner there. >> drinks from the faucet, as you can see. he is actually 44" tall from the paws to the shoulders, eats about 40 pounds of dog food every couple of weeks. >> parallel parking is something we take an interest around here. willie, from the top five best parallel parkers in america,

according to him. >> i don't have the guinness stamp of approval yet. >> in the office, reviewing it. >> savannah was my co-pilot there, guiding me in. >> giving me moral support. >> i can see there may be someone in the world who did it better than me this year. >> some stiff competition in the form of the tightest parallel park in reverse and the space between the two cars that he left was 5.51 inches, tightest space anyone has ever left to parallel parking in one single motion. over to you, willie. >> i raise the white flag. after watching that, i give up. >> you still want to make that clap? >> no. >> there wasn't any love tap. >> i believe in hitting the car ever so gently behind you to let everybody know you're there. i don't believe he did that. >> not in our guidelines.

>> 16-year-old most consecutive handsprings. >> yes, indeed, showing anyone of any age can break a guinness world record. amanda ferguson virally and quite unexpectedly explode, if you will, on to the record books with the most consecutive handsprings. an amazing 35 consecutive springs. and this was about over 70 yards in her school in dallas, texas. she set this earlier this year. i think we were on hand to present her with a certificate. >> yes. >> hats off, miranda. >> she was so excited. it was like 20 degrees out and she was in her little cheerleader outfit. you have the tallest mohawk as well. >> yes. >> i think we have a picture of it. that's a mohawk. >> there you go. >> thank you so much. >> not at all. >> any chance for me perhaps in the books? >> we're waiting for you. >> thanks. are you bumed christmas is over? how to beat the post holiday

blues after your local news. med over? how to beat the post holiday blues after your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. the baltimore city man accused of killing his seven-month-old son will be back in court this morning. a hearing is scheduled. he initially told police that he

accidentally dropped his son as he tried to put him in a playpen, but doctors at johns hopkins children's

>> wintry mix building in, accumulation possible. we changed over to rain in the afternoon. seven-day forecast shows a slight chance of a wintry mix